the von bondies - pawn shoppe heart
not sure if you have scanned through many reviews on this site, if you have, then you may have noticed a lack of white stripes stuff. this is for one reason, they suck. i just don't get the interest, can't stand the music. the stripped down minimal approach and rules that jack has imposed upon the bands sound i find tiresome. subsequently when i heard that the von bondies were once well connected with jack and that they were all buddies my heart does not rise with joy. but i have a memory of recent times that the two factions fell out quite badly, blood was involved.
hmm maybe i should investigate further.
and indeed, perusing the shelves of my local record emporium a few weeks ago, the pa was playing a superb call to arms rallying cry of guitars and passion, turned out it was to be the bondies first single off their second album 'cmon cmon'.
wow. ok time to wipe out the prejudice and get this sorted.
this album is great. a straight forward golden mixture of defacto garage guitars, glam stomp drums, girl-boy sexual tension interaction, rousing vocals, all making for supremely addictive stuff. the band have risen to the challenges of the hype and well and truly battered them down. this album should shut up all the detractors, me included.
they are not the menswear of the new rock movement that is certain, the qualities of jasons vocals are a case in point, his strong vocals are a key element to the bands sound. confident, forthright, just downright fucking cool. jerry harrison (yup that one) has produced this, he hasn't cleaned up and studio polished the edges to make a major label rock album, instead, he has focussed the bands natural energy, youthfulness, sexual energy flow out of these great fun songs.
yes, there are times you just know that they have listened to the cramps a lot, you hear the various reference points recalling other genres, but hey, in this day and age who gives one when the results are as tight as this.
not an ounce of flab on this tight mother. not one softy slushy aor track to get radio crossover, this lot aint going down that road just yet !
now we know what the fight was about. jack white obviously knew what was coming, there is an alternative to the monochromatic duo, and that involves a full technicolour gang, i know which side i'm on.